Mosses, Liverworts, and Lichens
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Species Types
Scientific Name
Porella spp.
Description
Porella liverworts are fairly common in Missouri, but few people recognize them when they see one. These scaleworts are some of our many species of leafy liverworts — small, mosslike plants that form traceries on rocks or trees.
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Species Types
Scientific Name
Climacium americanum and Climacium kindbergii
Description
Tree mosses in genus Climacium look like miniature trees, complete with tiny upright trunks and long, slender branches clustered at the top. They form dense, thick mats in moist, shady places.
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Species Types
Scientific Name
Atrichum spp.
Description
Missouri has five species of starburst mosses (genus Atrichum). They tend to look different depending on whether they are wet or dry. When wet, they look like mass of bright green stars, but when dry, the leaves shrivel, contort, and look dead.
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Species Types
Scientific Name
Approximately 315 species and varieties in Missouri
Description
Mosses are small, low plants that form cushions or carpets, usually in damp places. They lack veinlike structures and do not produce flowers or seeds. They release spores from tiny capsules that usually arise on thin stalks.
See Also
About Mosses, Liverworts, and Lichens in Missouri
Mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens seem rather similar, but these organisms are in very different groups. Mosses, liverworts, and hornworts are small, low plants usually found in damp habitats. Unlike more familiar plants, they lack veinlike structures and do not produce flowers or seeds — instead, they produce spores. Meanwhile, lichens are not plants at all: they are a collection of different fungi that have photosynthetic algae living within their tissues.